Recent Posts

Justin Bieber this week has been all over the media with a young
woman claiming that he’s the father of her child. Justin
Bieber has continued the great marketing and brand-building
skills we have seen to date by doing the best marketing thing he
can yet again - recognizing the seriousness of these allegations
and hiring a leading crisis PR firm (Matt Hiltzik – a great choice.)
Just as one shouldn’t speak to the police without an
attorney, one shouldn’t speak to the media without a PR agency standing by their side. A crisis company
is needed to navigate today’s scary media landscape where anyone
can say anything and be heard by the world – whether they are
telling the truth or not.

Bieber did exactly what one should do when in the midst of a
crisis PR situation – he addressed all of the 5W’s - who what
when where and why – and did so quickly and affirmatively.
Appearing on The Today Show earlier today, Bieber said:
"I know I'm going to be a target, but I'm never going to be
a victim. It's crazy, every night after the show I've gone right
from the stage right to my car, so it's crazy some people want to
make up such false allegations. But to set the record straight,
none of it is true.” And in response to Matt Lauer's pointed
question if he knew Yeater, Bieber answered: "Never met the
woman."

Hiring a crisis manager is the right thing to do in this, and the
rapid response is exactly what needs to be done when one is
facing something which can leave a permanent scar on their
reputation. The court of public opinion doesn’t wait and by
responding once, forcefully in a national venue like The Today
Show, Bieber is framing the issue very clearly – and it’s a big
enough issue that he personally handled it.

Maybe Justin Bieber can even assist Herman Cain as he still
struggles to find a response to the crisis PR allegations he’s
facing. Assuming Bieber’s telling the truth about his
encounters with this woman, he’s scored an A+ in the school of
crisis PR.